Wildlife artist Floyd Broadbent dies at 98
YAKIMA -- Wildlife artist Floyd Broadbent was beloved by outdoors enthusiasts worldwide for his detailed paintings and carvings, but those who knew him remember his personality as much as his art.
Broadbent, who lived in Yakima and Naches, died Tuesday in Richland. He was 98.
Known for his upbeat personality and good humor, Broadbent was quoted in a 1982 Yakima Herald-Republic story as saying he didn't give lessons, "but I will share it with you. You can sit and look over my shoulder all day long and ask as many questions as you want, and I will be happy to answer them."
That's how wildlife artist Franz Dutzler, 72, of La Pine, Ore., remembers Broadbent. The two met when Dutzler wanted to get into trout carving, and his father-in-law recommended he seek out Broadbent.
"By the time we were done talking, I had loads of wood and encouragement," Dutzler said Thursday. "He didn't really teach me, per se. But if I asked the right questions, he would answer them."
The two became friends after that first meeting in the mid-1970s and had seen each other as recently as about five years ago, Dutzler said.
"I learned quite a bit from him," he said. "We talked about all kinds of things. He was kind of a funny guy, telling stories and all that."
Broadbent began drawing and painting birds as a boy and by his late teens had traveled to New York and earned a contract painting ashtrays for Abercrombie and Fitch, then primarily a sporting goods company. He also would create work for Eddie Bauer as well as doing his own art.
Through the years, he donated works for auction, helping local charities raise thousands of dollars. Yakima Valley Community College honored him in 1985 with an honorary associate's degree in art, the first the institution had given in 56 years.
Broadbent married Virginia Whelpley in 1941. She died last May. They had four children together.
This story was originally published January 28, 2012 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Wildlife artist Floyd Broadbent dies at 98 ."